-
Beware of Counterfeit Woodturning Tools (click here for details) -
Johnathan Silwones is starting a new AAW chapter, Southern Alleghenies Woodturners, in Johnstown, PA. (click here for details) -
Congratulations to Keven Jesequel for "Big Leaf Maple" being selected as Turning of the Week for April 15, 2024 (click here for details) -
Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.
Photo Tutorial
- Thread starter N_Addy
- Start date
Thanks, Neal!!
Gil
Gil
Neal,
This is excellent!! Thanks for your hard work.
Kurt
This is excellent!! Thanks for your hard work.
Kurt
Simply outstanding, Neal. Thank you so much.
Very nicely done!
Good Job. I would recommend Adobe Photoshop. Very powerful and easy to use software. I have version 7. I believe the newest version is cs3. It is professional software. My uncle has a photography business and he uses it a lot.
Photoshop is great software but very expensive
I think your tutorial is a GREAT resource (as I mentioned over in Woodnet). It made a really big difference when I took some pics of my recent turnings.
I have an old version of Photoshop (ver 5) that does just fine for me, for what I want it to do. But for fast and easy minor editing, I rely on Irfanview. It lets you do lots of editing functions, and can use Adobe filter plugins (along with a bunch of others). And best of all, it is FREE...freeware. I've been using it for many years, and it is very popular, and worth looking at.
I have an old version of Photoshop (ver 5) that does just fine for me, for what I want it to do. But for fast and easy minor editing, I rely on Irfanview. It lets you do lots of editing functions, and can use Adobe filter plugins (along with a bunch of others). And best of all, it is FREE...freeware. I've been using it for many years, and it is very popular, and worth looking at.
Well last week I got something to brag about. My uncle who owns a professional photography business needed some help with remodel. They were remodeling the building that his studio is in to make room for a new restaurant. He needed some help putting in a door and the trim on it. We got it finished and after he asked me if I wanted his old camera. I said sure(I am not going to turn down a professional camera!). He gave it to me and showed me a little how to use it. It is a bit to fancy for me right now, but hopefully I can learn how to use it.
Thanks!
Thanks Neal very good site and information! George
Thanks Neal very good site and information! George
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
Neal great addition. One thing I would mention in your last segment where your shooting with the light booth. I would move both lights back a little and move one of the lights up. This changes where the highlights are so you don't get the deer in the headlight look. That is the most common problem I see when people use the photo booths. I try to shine the main light so it hits both the top and one side. Sometimes this light alone will light the piece enough. If I have to use the second light I start either quite far away or I aim it less directly at the photo booth so that it's weaker than the main light.
Thanks for the suggestion, John. That pic is kinda misleading. As it says in the text, the lights are shown close-in only for the purpose of the photo but I may not have explained that well enough.
I agree with your suggestions on light positioning. I typically pull one light back (to avoid the "alien eyes" effect) and position the other light close to the tent wall and near the top seam.
Maybe you can give me suggestions on another topic. One limitation of the tent that I still struggle with is the "black hole" effect caused by the tent's opening (see pic below). A tent flap doesn't seem to work very well, especially when I'm using a 50mm prime and have to keep the camera back a bit. I suppose a reflection panel in front of the tent might work if positioned correctly but the few attempts I've tried have only caused a front highlight on the piece.
I agree with your suggestions on light positioning. I typically pull one light back (to avoid the "alien eyes" effect) and position the other light close to the tent wall and near the top seam.
Maybe you can give me suggestions on another topic. One limitation of the tent that I still struggle with is the "black hole" effect caused by the tent's opening (see pic below). A tent flap doesn't seem to work very well, especially when I'm using a 50mm prime and have to keep the camera back a bit. I suppose a reflection panel in front of the tent might work if positioned correctly but the few attempts I've tried have only caused a front highlight on the piece.
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
You can't actually avoid the black hole. All you can do is make it really small. What you have to do is cover the front of the box and shoot through a small hole. What I do is first Is use as long a lens as I can. This moves the camera back which makes the lens smaller in the reflection. Then I put a white piece of paper with a hole in it around the lens. Then cover the front of the booth so the reflection in the piece only see's all this white with just black dot for the lens. In this case you may have to actually put a light behind the camera to light all that white stuff.
Sometimes your better off to do all of this with black rather than white. This makes all the reflections the piece see's black.
Sometimes your better off to do all of this with black rather than white. This makes all the reflections the piece see's black.
Thank you!
I've known for some time now that my photography needed some improvement. This photo tutorial you've posted will certainly help me.
Thanks, Mark
I've known for some time now that my photography needed some improvement. This photo tutorial you've posted will certainly help me.
Thanks, Mark
Thanks Neal
I ve looking for this info...great program, looks doable.
I ve looking for this info...great program, looks doable.
Thanks so much I always new I was seeing something different in Gallery quality photos but I couldn't figure out what your time and effort are greatly appreciated.
Perhaps you could add a section on color profiles Neal.
This matter is fraught with difficulty for folk trying to sell work on the basis of web photos.
Managing the high contrast range in photos of subjects that shine is also a challenge. In your tutorial, your fine bowl comes through with blown-out detail on its top left still there.
There are now a couple of cameras on the market that will take two different exposures of a high-contrast scene and combine them to preserve detail in the high and low exposure zones. Or a program like Photomatix will do this on the computer using 3 exposures of a scene in post-processing.
This matter is fraught with difficulty for folk trying to sell work on the basis of web photos.
Managing the high contrast range in photos of subjects that shine is also a challenge. In your tutorial, your fine bowl comes through with blown-out detail on its top left still there.
There are now a couple of cameras on the market that will take two different exposures of a high-contrast scene and combine them to preserve detail in the high and low exposure zones. Or a program like Photomatix will do this on the computer using 3 exposures of a scene in post-processing.
john lucas
AAW Forum Expert
Or you can learn to shoot the subjects and reduce or eliminate the hotspots rather than playing on the computer. If you go to www.cumberlandwoodturners.com and click on the tips section you will find my PDF on shooting really glossy subjects. I mean really glossy dark subjects which are the most difficult to shoot.
Steve Worcester
Admin Emeritus
And a good start is this article John wrote on light tent use
Lighting Tricks for Photographing Woodturnings
Lighting Tricks for Photographing Woodturnings
Thanks for that post John (and Steve),
My low-tech solution, when I know that a good shot will be needed, is to take it after maybe one coat of finish so the piece is not as reflective as it will become.
If that doesn't work, then I use daylight: a large window to the right of the piece that extends well above it with a means of diffusing it (voile curtain or venetion blind), black card below and curving behind, and a dull day. And the digcam set on low contrast.
My low-tech solution, when I know that a good shot will be needed, is to take it after maybe one coat of finish so the piece is not as reflective as it will become.
If that doesn't work, then I use daylight: a large window to the right of the piece that extends well above it with a means of diffusing it (voile curtain or venetion blind), black card below and curving behind, and a dull day. And the digcam set on low contrast.
Last edited: